Letters To The Editor

Ah, yes, the Internet is a wonderful source of information. Unfortunately, both Jade Moon and Arianna Huffington, among others, let their ideologies rule rather than look any further regarding the pepper spraying of UC-Davis “occupiers.”

It was good, old-fashioned talk radio that got it right. One of the national radio hosts played an interview with a young lady who had participated. She related that the “occupiers” had surrounded the campus police, linked arms and sat down. They refused to let the officers pass through their line, daring them to physically remove them.

Evidently, the police chose to pepper spray them rather than physically touch them. Either way, the “occupiers” got what they wanted: a confrontation that could be spread over YouTube.

The evidence? Look at the AP photo accompanying Jade Moon’s article. The police are standing within the circle of protestors. Had they tried to step over the bodies, there would have been cries of police brutality. Perhaps the pepper spray was the more humane effort since protesters could have moved out of the way at any time.

Carol R. WhiteHonolulu

MidWeek diversity

Another reason why I love MidWeek: Two letters last week, one toasting editors for running an antiIsrael letter, the other praising editors for the same thing. Your readers are as diverse as the opinions published.

Michael WardHonolulu

Happy heart news

Thank you to Dan Boylan for his column “Peace Corps Reunion’s Significance.” It was sooooo soothing to the heart particularly mine as a week and a half ago I had open heart surgery at Queen’s. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1962 to 1964 one of the first to volunteer. Mr. Boylan brought back many happy memories to my heart. That’s good therapy.

Marvin E. HansonKaneohe

Twisted values

Thanks to Bob Jones and as he points out, the good work of the StarAdvertiser‘s Dave Reardon in questioning why the state of Hawaii is paying Greg McMackin more than a million bucks to coach a lousy football team.

But the won-loss record isn’t the real issue it’s the salary that’s more than 10 times what a professor makes, and more than twice what the med school dean makes.

I enjoy sports, but there is something very twisted with our values. Whatever you may think of McMackin, he’s not paying himself.

Ron MiyamotoHonolulu

Boo, Suh!

Steve Murray is absolutely right about Ndamukong Suh’s action on the football field. The Detroit Lion is a “petulant child.” But I also think he is a “dirty player” and doesn’t belong on the field. He doesn’t realize that, even in the NFL, it is a “game” and that there is no room in a game for someone who demonstrates unbridled, uncontrollable violence.

Suh doesn’t even seem to comprehend what he has done. He seems to have some type of “disorder,” convincing himself that he had been hitting the quarterback “throughout the game,” when in fact, he failed miserably in that, too.

Trying to hurt an opponent by repeatedly banging his head into the turf shows irresponsible, childlike behavior that should not be tolerated. A two-game suspension for that tantrum is not enough to teach him that it is a game. Considering that many youngsters look to NFL players as role models, Suh should be required to seek medical help, or be banned from the sport.

And, knowing that he has problems, I’m guessing that some coach was wrong in encouraging Suh to “get out there and fight.” You can’t say things like that to a violent, immature man who wants to hurt others.

Keith HaugenHonolulu

Send your letters to MidWeek Letters, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 500, Honolulu, HI. 96813; by fax to 585-6324, or by email to dchapman@midweek.com. Please include your name, address and daytime and evening phone numbers. We print only the letters that include this information, but only your name and area of residence will appear in print.Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

For the record … the UC Davis students who were holding the illegal protest on campus were warned that they would be pepper sprayed by the campus police. Not only that. For some reason this didn’t make it into any of the liberal media reports on the incident, or your article; just like the fact that the protesters were chanting “expletive” the police” never made it into any reports.

As one blogger put it ... “I’m not really sure how these students can even be taken seriously. It’s hardly a Kodak moment that rises to the enormity of what happened at Kent State. I would call it small potatoes by wanna be Hippies in comparison. They need to get off of their collective asses and actually DO something for their cause.”

Sure, to some degree, I can be sympathetic with their frustrations, but what I question is their case of legitimate civil disobedience. I simply can’t come to terms with a clear cut objective that I can support on these kids` behalf … it’s confusing, bewildering actually, that the students seemed to be upset that there were consequences for their actions.

Many years ago I was once a kid, and I remember how I was dealt with: (1) being warned of consequences for not complying, and (2) when I refused to comply, administered the consequences.